Forum Discussion
No data connection in Waterloo station
Connection bars are always fine but data doesn’t work until your train is clear of the station. Feels like there’s a contention going on that puts smarty mobile at the bottom of the list. Even asked other mobile users on the train and they have no data issues on other networks. I have unlimited data plan and tried 5g 4g it doesn’t matter.
8 Replies
I've just moved to Smarty in January 2025 and this is still an issue. As soon as I switch to the cell at Waterloo I have no data at all. As soon as the train leaves Waterloo and it switches cell I get good data.
I tried to report this issue to customer support only to be told to turn my phone on and off and reset the settings. Kind of missing the point of trying to report an issue.
Network status check is still showing good, it's not about how many people as very early in the morning when the place is empty it's still an issue.
Is there any way with Smarty to report a genuine network problem?Gravois In addition to what JJP2RidesAgain correctly says, have you done a Network Status check for that postcode to ensure that there are no local mast problems?
Thanks, I solved the problem by switching to a different network provider and found that reception bars were slightly lower in the station but the data connection works perfectly. In fact the 5g speed and internet latency is much improved outside the station too so for now I’ve switched away from smarty to my benefit . Sorry. The price and unlimited data is a great offer but not if the network performance doesn’t match the promise. Happily switch back once they resolve these issues.
It could simply be that the three mast is farther away from the station than the mast of other networks.
Aldo, a train station will in some parts of it, even if not all parts, will act as a giant Faraday cage, blocking signal and therefore connectivity.
Thanks but wouldn’t the ‘faraday cage’ effect prevent you getting any reception? Whereas I get five bars of connection, just no data. It’s the same every week so I doubt it’s a local mast issue.
I did a search online and someone else reported a similar issue on iPhone 14 too
https://community.smarty.co.uk/t5/chats-hacks/got-signal-but-no-connection/m-p/377
Waterloo station is usually very busy, especially in rush-hour periods, Gravois.
Perhaps the local Three UK network cell is simply too congested, and data packet latency is so high that mobile data is effectively useless. Maybe after being clear of the station, you're connecting to a different Three UK network cell.
